What Women Want



Key Wins:
- The Forum for Safe Motherhood the Forum -White Ribbon Alliance Pakistan Chapter WRAP- crafted a policy paper titled “Women’s Voices for Better Choices,” aimed at apprising policymakers of women’s demands and potential solutions regarding family planning. Additionally, the paper introduces a model advocating user participation in family planning initiatives.
- The incorporation of ‘Listening Sessions’ into the Family Planning (FP) 2030 roadmap in Sindh was a significant step. These sessions were designed to provide insights for the Government of Sindh’s forthcoming FP 2030 Plan, particularly focusing on bolstering the demand side of FP service delivery.
- In response to women’s demands, policymakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) ramped up spending on contraceptive supplies by 224% from July 2020 to May 2022 compared to the preceding year.
- There was a 5% boost in the Family Planning budget in Sindh for FY 2020-2021, while KP witnessed a substantial 57% increase in budgetary allocations for Family Planning for FY 2021-2022.
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Project Brief:
Empowering women and girls to advocate for their needs and preferences is at the core of the White Ribbon Alliance’s groundbreaking global initiative, ‘What Women Want.’ This unprecedented campaign engaged 1.3 million women and girls across 114 countries, inviting them to share their top priorities for reproductive and maternal health. In Pakistan, the White Ribbon Alliance Pakistan Chapter (WRAP) spearheaded this effort, mobilizing 250,000 women and adolescent girls from 20 districts to convey their demands to local and national decision-makers, effectively transforming ‘What Women Want’ into ‘What Women Won.’ ‘The campaign’s central question was simple yet profound: ‘What is your one request for quality reproductive and maternal healthcare services?’Through the ‘Ask, Listen, and Act’ methodology, WRAP not only asked women and girls about their needs but also listened attentively to their concerns and ideas. Subsequently, WRAP took action, integrating their demands into policies and initiatives aimed at improving healthcare services. Furthermore, high-level champions such as female ministers and parliamentarians were actively engaged in this initiative, securing their commitment to utilize campaign results for future policies and programs.
Unique in its approach, the campaign not only elevated women’s voices but also showcased the possibility of bringing grassroots and sub-national voices to a global stage. WRAP further harnessed the power of technology, collating crucial data on an Artificial Intelligence-powered online dashboard. This evidence became the driving force behind real improvements in healthcare quality, strengthening systems for generations to come. Through the ‘What Women Want’ campaign, WRAP uncovered a multitude of demands voiced by women, including the need for more health facilities, improved access to antenatal care, free and affordable services and supplies (particularly contraceptives), access to food and nutrition information, transportation infrastructure, respectful and dignified care, competent health workers (including midwives and nurses), and enhanced water, sanitation, and hygiene in public health facilities.
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